


A Cold Day in Oreburgh

by subterraneanflames



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24329470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subterraneanflames/pseuds/subterraneanflames
Summary: Self indulgent RarepairScience nerds bond on a collaborative project
Relationships: Torito/Hyouta Toren/Roark
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

It’s cold. Too cold. Toren exhaled into his hands as the cold November air of Oreburgh city hit him for the first time. Stepping off the train, lugging his case of equipment behind him, he pulled out his phone and checked his notes. The Fula City lab had sent him to investigate a pokemon fossil discovered in the city’s mine, which potentially may have had a form of the regenerator ability, useful for developing medicines. The palaeontologist by the name of Roark who’d found the fossil had organised a meeting at the city’s museum, but had been annoyingly light on details. Still, he shouldn’t keep the man waiting. He reached a hand into his coat pocket, finding the familiar comfortable form of Chanseys pokeball, holding it for a second before beginning the walk into the city. Plumes of steam rose from grates and chimneys all around as Toren navigated the streets of Oreburgh. He’d done his research on the journey from Fula, and knew the city’s extensive mines vent to the surface to keep the air breathable below. The steam was hardly pleasant smelling but Toren appreciated the small waves of warmth washing over him as he passed by. The city’s old industrial buildings were a far cry from the modern shining architecture of Fula. Toren couldn’t help but feel a little out of place… hopefully he could take the measurements and readings he needed and be on the way back to Fula as soon as possible.

Typical. He’d trekked all the way to the university, only to be told that he should look for Roark at the city’s gym. What sort of scientist sets a location for a meeting and then isn’t there when someone’s travelled for hours to get there? Surely he has better things to be doing than watching gym battles. Toren approached the Oreburgh gym, his legs beginning to ache from walking back and forth through the streets. The glass doors slid open and he stepped inside, taking a few breaths of the much warmer air, before taking a second to compose himself, approaching the receptionist at the front desk. “Um… h-hello? I’m looking for Roark. I had a meeting with him at the museum but he wasn’t there when I arrived.” The receptionist looked up at him with a questioning look, and he immediately felt his face begin to blush, “If he isn’t here that’s okay I jus-” She smiled sympathetically, waving a hand to pause his sudden stammering outburst. “Oh Roark is terrible at keeping appointments, he’s in the middle of a challengers gym battle right now, I’m sure he won’t be too long. If you want to watch you can find the seats down the corridor to the left!”  
Toren took a moment. Wait, GYM LEADER? “O-okay, I’ll do that, t-thank you.” He walked down the corridor towards the stands. Clearly theres more to this Roark fellow than he'd first thought.

Toren felt the shockwave slam into his torso as the Onix’s tail connected with the ground, sending chunks of rock and dust flying in all directions. Toren wasn’t particular interested in pokemon battling, but this was a spectacle to behold. The dust slowly cleared, revealing a knocked out Bibarel in what could only be described as a crater in the floor. “Bibarel is unable to battle, the winner is Roark!” The overall wearing referee lowered his flag to one side, as the Onix’s trainer gave a carefree salute. “Good battle Jen, I’m sure you’ll beat me next time!” The trainer opposite, a young girl seemed disappointed, but smiled at his words before recalling her Bibarel back to it’s pokeball and walking out of the gym arena. Now that the dust had cleared Toren could get a proper look at Roark. He was slightly taller than him, with shoulder length dark red hair, glasses, and small but genuine smile. Toren also noted his miner’s uniform, dusty and stained, presumably from hours spent working in the field.

Roark then promptly began to walk out of the arena. Toren cursed under his breath, before breathing deeply and talking as loudly as he could manage “E-excuse me, Roark?” Roark stumbled to a stop and whirled on the spot to face him. “Yeah?“ There was a second of silence where neither party knew what to say, before a look of recognition dawned on Roark’s face, quickly followed by embrassment.

“Oh my god, you’re Toren right? I am SO sorry, I completely blanked on our meeting today, I’m really sorry for leading you on a wild zangoose chase.” Roark’s sudden earnest apology took Toren aback for a second, before he waved his hands “No no it’s okay, I haven’t been looking for you for too long.” He said, waiting a second before adding “I… had no idea you were a gym leader!” Roark rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Hah, yeah. I try to juggle my time between the mine and my gym as best as I can, but forget a LOT of things pretty regularly” Roark’s slightly flushed face made clear his embarrassment at inconveniencing Toren, and he didn’t want to leave him feeling uncomfortable. “It’s no problem at all Roark, honestly. Now, I believe you have a fossil to show me?” Roark’s uneasy smile grew into a wide grin. “Yes I do! If you would follow me…” He trailed off as he vaulted over the wall to Toren, before striding off back towards the gym’s foyer. Toren dutifully followed, a small smile playing on his lips at the exchange that just occurred. Perhaps this research visit wouldn’t be too bad after all…


	2. Chapter 2

Toren certainly hadn’t expected to end up down one of Oreburgh’s many mines on his visit, but as Roark had explained to him, he’d waited for his arrival to carve the fossil free from the rock. Toren supposed he should be honoured, but honestly the hot, humid, dusty interior of the pit was getting on his nerves. The sound of a chisel against stone turned his attention back to Roark. The scientist, gym leader, and apparently also manager of the entire mine, as Toren had very recently discovered, was on his hand and knees slowly, painstakingly chiselling the lump of rock surrounding the fossil free. His meticulous and delicate work was impressive to say the least. With the conditions down in the mine it felt like it took all Toren’s concentration to stand up straight, yet he looked in his element, as much as his Pokémon would in their natural habitat.

Toren inadvertently inhaled a mote of dust and began a coughing fit. Roark downed tools and was at his side in an instant. “You okay Toren? I forget how people can find this place a bit much to handle sometimes...” He passed the green haired scientist a water bottle and gave his back an encouraging rub. “I’ve almost finished carving this loose, you can wait outside if you want to.” Toren gladly accepted the water, taking a long gulp before handing it back and shaking his head. “I’m fine, don’t worry.” Roark gave him a brief questioning glance, before smiling and leaning back over to the rock wall. 

Toren slightly regretted his decision to tough it out, but less than he’d previously though. Truth be told, there was another reason why he’d decided to stay. Roark had eschewed his jacket in the heat of the mine, and Toren had spent longer than he dared admit watching his muscles shift under his shirt as Roark rhythmically drove the chisel against the rock. Toren spent as much time as possible in his lab, it was familiar, comfortable, and as such he didn’t give too much thought to life outside of his work. Hell, he’d initially been annoyed the lab couldn’t spare anyone else to fly out and see what someone in Oreburgh had dug up. However, watching the show Roark was unwittingly giving him, the thought crossed his mind, that sometimes getting out of the lab comes with some benefits…

No. Stop that. He was here in a professional capacity, not to spend his time ogling his colleagues. Toren gently slapped himself, shaking his head. This trip was getting way more complicated than it had any right to be.

It was quite a sight, truth be told. A rough-hewn boulder, bearing on one face the perfectly preserved form of a long dead pokemon, save for a fracture across it’s centre. It’s form vaguely resembled a solosis, except eyeless, perhaps an earlier precursor? The possibilities were flooding through Toren’s head, as Roark entered the Oreburgh Museum lab, significantly less dusty and sporting a grey lab coat and gloves. Toren noted the wide grin on the red-haired man’s face as he approached. “So, think our little find will help you progress your medical research?” He enquired, sidling up to the shorter man to peer closer at the fossil. Toren could feel the man’s proximity to him, but felt surprisingly comfortable, the usual impulse to shrink away from contact seemingly absent. He turned to Roark, adjusting his monocle. “Y-yeah! It appears to be frozen mid cell division, in a manner similar to the regenerator ability! The potential for medicines that could be made through studying is huge!” Roark slapped him on the back, causing him to jolt for a second. “That’s great news! I’m glad the services of some dirt scientist could come in handy!” Toren laughed at that, not a nervous chuckle, an actual, full, happy laugh. It had been a while since someone made him this happy, he thought, carefully parcelling up the fossil in a carrying case.

“My train out of here leaves tomorrow, I should probably get to the hotel and get some sleep…” He swore he saw the taller man’s face drop for a second, before his brow furrowed in thought. “Yeah, yeah… uh, would.. you like to come back to my place for dinner?” Roark asked, the words machinegunning out of his mouth like bulletseed from a breloom. It took Toren a few seconds to process the offer, but his response came quicker than even he anticipated. “S-sure! I’d love to!” Roark’s expression shifted from one strained with anticipation to a beaming smile in an instant. “Great! I feel really bad about dragging you down into the mines with me earlier, so a free dinner is the least I could do!” Toren finished wrapping up the fossil. His head was spinning; Roark asked him to DINNER? And he said YES? WHAT WAS GOING ON? And yet, he simply smiled and nodded. “Sounds like a plan, lead the way.” Roark somehow smiled even wider, before throwing off his lab gloves and beckoning Toren to follow as he slung off his lab coat and walked to the door.


End file.
